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4D CHARTER FOR WORLD PEACE

CONTENTS

1. 4D CHARTER FOR WORLD PEACE – WHAT IS IT AND WHY?

2. 4D CHARTER GOALS

3. MECHANISMS OR METHODS FOR ACHIEVING THE CHARTER

4. SOME EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGNS

5. IDEAS AND ACTIONS FOR WORLD PEACE

6. FOCUS OF THE CHARTER

7. JOIN 4D CHARTER FOR A SAFER AND SUSTAINABLE WORLD

4D CHARTER FOR WORLD PEACE – WHAT IS IT AND WHY?

4D Charter is a free forum for critical discussion, developing solutions and implementation of global

peace and sustainable development priorities for the 21st

Century. It is about creating global frame-

works for taking actions on interconnecting global issues of disarming and demilitarising the world

and the savings thus achieved to be deployed for peace building, development and promotion of de-

mocracy.

As we live in an interdependent world, most of the global issues (poverty, wars, terrorism, human

rights violations and climate change crisis) are interlinked. In this respect, 4D vision tackles the un-

derlined causes of conflict and underdevelopment by working on Disarmament, Demilitarisation, De-

velopment and Democracy. It is not about stand-alone projects but creating joint projects versus soli-

tary endeavours to work in more coordinated way and in tandem for achieving world peace.

The Preamble to the United Nation’s Charter talks of the interrelated issues of our universe when it

says of its determination of saving succeeding generations from scourge of war, reaffirming its faith

in Human Rights, establishing conditions for justice and respect for International Law, practice of tol-

erance to live together in peace, ensure that armed force shall not be used saving common interest

and to employ international machinery for the promotion of economical and social advancement of

all peoples.

The interconnectedness of the global issues is endorsed by Kofi Annan former Secretary General of

the United Nations who said in his report; A more secured world: Our shared responsibility

“Historians may well look back on the first years of the twenty-first century as a decisive moment in

the human story. The different societies that make up the human family are today interconnected as

never before. They face threats that no nation can hope to master by acting alone - and opportuni-

ties that can be much more hopefully exploited if all nations work together.

What is needed is a comprehensive system of collective security: one that tackles both new and old

threats, and addresses the security concerns of all States - rich and poor, weak and strong.

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Today’s threats to our security are all interconnected. We can no longer afford to see problems such

as terrorism, or civil wars, or extreme poverty, in isolation. Our strategies must be comprehensive.

Our institutions must overcome their narrow preoccupations and learn to work across the whole

range of issues, in a concerted fashion”.

The 4D Charter is different, unique and a paradigm shift from specialised or single issue campaigns

like Green Peace (dealing with Environment), CND (dealing with Nuclear Disarmament) or Jubilee

Debt Campaign (Debt cancellation of poor countries ).

4D Charter works on four pillars which are working for Disarmament, Demilitarisation, Development

and Democracy. These are international community’s most important tools for cooperation and

building a world free from wars, want and fear.

For International Peace and Human Security to thrive, it is important to build sustainable develop-

ment, good governance and respect for Human Rights. Working as a team and dealing with all the

issues jointly under 4D Charter is a sure way of achieving world peace.

4D Charter has holistic solutions to all the interrelated issues and a multilateral approach in collec-

tively dealing with threats and challenges of today. The international community need to link the

agenda of development, environment and disarmament together by building partnerships at national

and global level. It also reflects more accurately the purpose of the UN Charter, its treaties and con-

ventions.

Uniting for Peace is an ideal organisation which is capable to carry forward the 4D in a single unified

way for a changing world.

4D CHARTER GOALS:

� Global Education for a Culture of Peace, nonviolence, protection of Human Rights, social jus-

tice, building a ethical and moral society

� Disarmament, nuclear and non-nuclear

� Demilitarisation, reduction of military spending, prevention of war through conflict resolu-

tion, dialogue, diplomacy, reconciliation, mutual understanding and cooperation.

� Promoting an effective and credible United Nations and other international institutions

� Poverty reduction and sustainable development

� Working for an open, transparent and democratic civil society

MECHANISMS OR METHODS FOR ACHIEVING THE CHARTER ARE:

� Building a 4D Charter website

� Hosting events, conferences, seminars, round tables etc.

� Publications – briefings, books, documentaries, videos, newsletters

� Harnessing public opinion via online campaign using the media, press, TV, radio and social

media (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter etc.)

� Informing and engaging with leaders, policy makers, MP’s, MEP’s, NGO’s, Business Commu-

nity and other Civil Society actors

� Building a members’ and supporters’ database of individuals and organisations for expanding

the campaign

� Working with UN, EU and other international institutions

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� Building links in both South and North, including policy makers, international institutions,

members of the civil society, media and the research community

SOME EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGNS BY ORGANISATIONS AND GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGNS ON A

GLOBAL SCALE ARE:

� Landmines, Cluster Munitions Treaty

� Creation/Formation of International Criminal Court

� Non-violent grassroots revolution in Middle East and North Africa

� Kyoto protocol about environment

� MDG’s-Millennium Development Goals about Poverty Reduction and Development

� NPT-Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty about nuclear disarmament

� Amnesty International – defending Human Rights

� Friends of the Earth and Green Peace – Environmental protection

� Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) – Nuclear Disarmament

4D CHARTER IDEAS AND ACTIONS FOR WORLD PEACE

There are ideas, actions and projects which will be undertaken to achieve the goals of 4D. Among

them one is based on Article 26 of the UN Charter which mandates the UN Security Council with for-

mulating a plan to promote the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security

with the least diversion for armaments of the world’s human and economic resources. The Security

Council has entirely neglected this responsibility and its permanent members have instead engaged

in weapons profiteering and arms race, resulting in crises of international, national, and human secu-

rity and of sustainable development.

The Military budget of nations should never be bigger than budget for health, education and devel-

opment. In 2009 global military expenditure was more than $1.6 trillion, on average more than $4

billion a day. It has led to war and violence the cost of which to the global economy is more than

$8.12 trillion in 2010 according to Global Peace Index. The charter will expose the Military Industrial

Complex and seek for reduction of military budgets and savings to be deployed for peace and devel-

opment.

By way of contrast, an average of more than 24,000 children under the age of five die every day from

mainly preventable causes - lack of access to adequate food, clean water and basic medicines. That is

one of the prices paid, the collateral damage that is seldom talked about, for maintaining armed

forces in a state of combat readiness around the world. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “A nation that

continues year after year to spend more money on military defence than on programmes of social

uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”

THE CHARTER WILL FOCUS ON:

� to develop, implement solutions and projects following the 4D vision of Culture of Peace and

nonviolence

� to lobby United Nations to activate Article 26 of the UN Charter for demilitarisation

� to lobby leaders, governments, MPs, MEPs, MSPs, the US Congress and EU Parliament for the

reduction of military spending in US and Europe

� to work with civil society, NGOs and academics to spread awareness of the Charter

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4D is a Charter of people and organisations which believe that through the savings gained by disar-

mament and demilitarisation, we can implement development, completion of MDGs and promote

democracy. It also believes that true and lasting Peace can only be sustained when economic, social

and environmental justice has been achieved.

The founder of 4D Charter is Vijay Mehta and it is inspired by his forthcoming book

The Economics of Killing:

How the West Fuels War and Poverty in the Developing World

The 4D Charter is endorsed by Uniting for Peace, large number of NGO’s, civil society organisations

and individuals.

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